SPEED CONTESTS: Illegal street racing would carry stiffer penalties under a bill that passed the Utah Senate on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 193 makes the penalty for street racing a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail. It also provides for a 60-day suspension of a driver's license on a first offense and a 90-day license suspension for a second offense. Police could also impound a racer's car under the bill.

Sponsored by Sen. Karen Hale, D-Salt Lake City, SB 193 passed the Senate 24-2. It now moves to the House for consideration.

In floor debate, Hale said an increasing number of speed contests are taking place both in rural areas and on city streets. In some cases the races have dire consequences, including the death of a 13-year-old Utah boy who was struck and killed by a racing car last year, Hale said. A few weeks later the driver was caught racing again, she added.

"The penalties and conditions are not stiff enough," Hale said.

Sen. Bill Hickman, R-St. George, asked Hale for assurances that the stiffer penalties were appropriate given that enforcement by police could be subjective.

"I want to make sure that there are some safety measures in it because it is somewhat of a subjective call as to whether they were racing, or just driving at excessive speed," Hickman said.

Hale said the bill applies only to situations were there is a clear effort to stage a street race or exhibition of speed.

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From Marlon Brando in The Wild Ones to even the 1978 musical Grease, street racing has been glamorized by a series of Hollywood movies. One recent example, the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious centered on the Los Angeles street-racing subculture, spinning it into a souped-up international phenomenon, complete with action-packed video games for those too young to be behind the wheel.

The reality, however, is much grittier. And it can be lethal.

People have died in street races — often those who weren't racing. Like Vancouver RCMP Const. Jimmy Ng. The 31-year-old was killed instantly in 2002 when a Honda Civic ran a red light in a street race and rammed his car. Or Rob and Lisa Manchester, who also died in a suspected street-racing incident on May 27, 2006, just north of Toronto. They left behind a seven-year-old daughter, Katie. The Manchesters had been out celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary.

There are no official Canadian statistics on street-racing or related deaths. But 33 people in Ontario have been killed due to street racing, according to Project E.R.A.S.E., which stands for Eliminate Racing Activities on Streets Everywhere. The Ontario-based program is a joint project involving 15 police departments and government ministries in Ontario. There is no national equivalent, but the problem is Canada-wide, said program coordinator, Const. Kent Taylor of the Ontario Provincial Police. And, "the death toll is rising."

'Not all crazy guys'

But Graham Chan, a former street racer in Richmond, B.C., argues, "We're not all crazy guys driving around the street trying to hurt people." In a 2002 CBC TV report, he said, "It's more just about the music, the cars, the styles, the girls. All that. What brings us together is the subculture." He added there are different types of street racers. "We're very safe, " he said. "Usually we have someone at the other end with walkie-talkies, making sure they can see further ahead than we can."

But when street racing goes wrong, it can have devastating consequences, said Taylor. "I have now come into contact with people who have lost loved ones, and you just hear how it impacts their lives. Street racing is not a joke and not a fun little hobby. You're risking lives. If you want to risk your own life, go parachute. Don't race on the street, taking other people's lives for your fun."

There are three types of street races, according to Taylor:

* The impromptu race. It happens spontaneously when drivers pull up beside each other at a stop sign, or stoplight. One driver will rev up his engine, or look at the other to signal the race is on. It doesn't necessarily involve a sports car, Taylor said, it could even involve a couple of minivans.
* The organized race. It is planned ahead of time, and a road is closed off for the race, usually in a remote location and late at night or early morning, with several spectators.
* "Hat racing." Several racers compete for sums of money, or "pinks", the pink papers that claim ownership of their car. The first driver to the set destination gets the prize, and the glory. The race isn't confined to a certain road and they're often racing for long distances, such as from city to city, Taylor said. "For these people, especially if they're racing for 'pinks', there's significant risk involved. They want to win, and it's no holds barred. They have no regard for other people on the roads."

What's an offence

At this point, there is no specific law in Canada that targets street racing. Of course, there are penalties for speeding, or reckless driving. And, if someone is killed or injured, four offences under the Criminal Code could apply:

If convicted of the most serious charge, criminal negligence causing death, racers can face life in prison. But, Taylor said that almost never happens. "To my knowledge, there isn't (a convicted street racer) who has served more than five months in jail," he said. In November 2000, street racers in Vancouver killed 51-year-old Irene Thorpe, a pedestrian, and were convicted of criminal negligence causing death The two teens involved, Sukvir Singh Khosa and Bahadur Singh Bhalru, were given conditional sentences of two years less a day and placed under house arrest — a sentence that provoked outrage in most of the country. That outrage still didn't change the penalties much. At a news conference shortly after his son Jimmy was killed in 2002, Chris Ng, father of the slain Vancouver RCMP officer, said, "We want the judicial system to put a little heavier penalty, to do something about this criminal driving behaviour."

Harper's plan
On June 15, 2006, the Conservative government introduced a bill in the House of Commons making street racing a specific criminal offence under the Criminal Code of Canada. Offenders would be hit with tougher sentences and have their driving privileges revoked — for progressively longer periods with each offence.

Taylor said he likes the new legislation, in principle, but there could be difficulties applying it. For example, he notes that, even with speeding involved, car crashes can be hard to peg directly to a street race. Still, "Having something in the Criminal Code, as long as it's well defined, would be good," he said.

In the U.S., there is street racing criminal legislation already in place, according to a U.S. Department of Justice report on street racing.

In California, a conviction for a "speed contest" — defined as a motor vehicle racing against another vehicle, or against time — slaps racers with a $1,000 US fine or up to 90 days in jail, or both. As well, if convicted of engaging in a speed contest, reckless driving, or screeching their tires by flooring the gas pedal, an offender's licence can be suspended for six months, and his or her car can be impounded for up to 30 days. Offenders get their cars back after paying $1,500 US. In Freemont, California, traffic has been banned between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on streets known to be popular for racing. And police are allowed to impound cars of both street-race drivers and spectators.

Texas established harsher penalties in 2003, according to the report. Racers face up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine for both drivers and passengers. For an intoxicated driver, the fine is $4,000 and jail time a year behind bars. Spectators can be fined up to $500 as well. In Nevada, street racers face similar fines and jail sentences.

In Vancouver, medians and curbs were put up to narrow roads that were being used for drag racing. Police also had a zero-tolerance policy targeting cars that are modified to go faster, even if drivers weren't caught speeding down the strip.

In Ontario, Taylor said, police target actual street racers, because customized car owners aren't necessarily racers. But he said he hopes to team up with car enthusiasts who are part of the subculture to help curb street racing activity. He said E.R.A.S.E.'s plan is to change the image of street racing.

"We're trying to engage as much of the community as we can, so we can make it known that street racing isn't cool, not socially acceptable," he said. "I'm very concerned that right now there's an emerging youth culture that sees racing as kind of cool and anti-establishment."

Taylor said street racing may never be eliminated, but he hopes one day it will be frowned upon as severely as drunk driving is now.

"With impaired driving, it used to be acceptable," he said. "It was like, 'Yuk, Yuk, I beat the cops on that one!' But with the efforts of police and the community, they turned it around to where it's totally unacceptable to be charged with drunk driving. You don't want neighbours knowing you were charged with it. We hope we will get street racing to be viewed like that."

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If the highest speed limit on any highway in NA (or even for most part of the world) is around 65-75 mph (100-120 km/h), why car manufactures need to make cars that can go twice that speed. If all the cars can only go as fast as the speed limit, let say 80mph/130 km/h, there won't be as many street racing as it is now.

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If the highest speed limit on any highway in NA (or even for most part of the world) is around 65-75 mph (100-120 km/h), why car manufactures need to make cars that can go twice that speed. If all the cars can only go as fast as the speed limit, let say 80mph/130 km/h, there won't be as many street racing as it is now.

1) Auto lobby is going to go crazy over that.

2) If you're talking about technical limitations, it takes forever for a car to go up to its maximum speed. Unless the car is limited by its gearing, which will be an enormous waste of fuel... plus a waste of resources to build a big engine

3) Most cars are actually electronically limited nowadays (MBZs are limited to 155 mph, and Japanese and American cars are limited to anywhere from 120 to 155, I have to check my magazines for that)

4) Street racers also modify their cars very often. All they have to do is to fit a turbo into the car to increase its performance. Like I said before, a car limited by design will be impractical, and electronic limiters (usually a rev limiter) is very easily removed.

5) How are the police going to earn their money?

6) Street racers can move the scene out to courses with tighter roads (ie lower possible speeds) but still remain as dangerous... (65 mph in a 35 mph zone instead of 135 mph in a 75 mph zone)

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If they get rid of freeeway speed limits on sections where the exit spacing is 5km or more, and introduce German-style drunk-driving laws + passing laws, people will be able to get their kicks in a legal and safe way.

Building more public racetracks caters to a small minority, and since they onlky have one route, they're just not as much fun as the open road.

The solution used in Victoria is to give police the power to impound any car for 48 hours after the first offence, three months on the second offence and permanently on the third offence, where the car is then sold by the government.

Quote:

Vehicles can be impounded, immobilised or confiscated if drivers commit any of the following hoon-related offences:
· Improper use of a motor vehicle, where the driver has intentionally caused one or more tyres to lose traction;
· Exceeding the speed limit by 45 kph or more (or travelling at over 145 kph in a 110kph zone);
· Engaging in a race or speed trial; and
· Repeat ‘drive whilst disqualified’ behaviour.

The following will also be considered hoon-related offences if they are committed in circumstances involving the improper use of a motor vehicle:
· Dangerous driving;
· Careless driving;
· Failure to have proper control of the vehicle; and
· Causing a vehicle to make excessive noise or smoke.

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Street racing a worry for Aussie drivers
10 August 2007
Australian Associated Press

Street racing is a concern for a majority of Australians, with a national survey showing 68 per cent of drivers have witnessed the illegal activity.

Street racing is a concern for a majority of Australians, with a national survey showing 68 per cent of drivers have witnessed the illegal activity.

Drivers aged 29 and under are also likely to be challenged to race, with 51 per cent saying they have been encouraged by another driver at red lights or stop signs, the CARSguide.com.au survey has found.

But despite the concern, 35 per cent of the survey's respondents say they race other drivers to get ahead when a double lane merges into one.

CARSguide.com.au editor Alan Jones says 51 per cent of people believe the best penalty for street racing is indefinite disqualification of the offender's licence.

The NSW government is considering harsher penalties - including the crushing of offenders' cars - after a string of alleged illegal street races in Sydney in recent weeks.

One incident resulted in the death of an elderly couple in the city's west.

"People feel like there is an increasing number of tragic fatalities on our roads as a result of illegal street racing and I think our survey helps confirm that it is a major issue," Mr Jones said.

"The fact that 68 per cent of people have witnessed road racing and almost half have been enticed to engage in a street race are alarming statistics, especially for younger drivers."

According to the survey, South Australia is the worst state for street racing, closely followed by Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland and NSW.

The survey also showed 28 per cent of drivers disliked cyclists on the roads, followed by trucks and four-wheel drive vehicles.

Mr Jones said car window washers working at city intersections were widely considered dangerous with 71 per cent of people wanting the practice made illegal.

"Window cleaners take a big risk when they run onto a busy intersection," he said.

"It's also a distraction that drivers don't need, so I'm not surprised to see that people want them off the roads."

The survey was conducted by CoreData in partnership with CARSguide.com.au and polled 1,026 people.

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The solution used in Victoria is to give police the power to impound any car for 48 hours after the first offence, three months on the second offence and permanently on the third offence, where the car is then sold by the government.

Probably to another hoon who will go street racing in it. The only way to ensure that these cars are never used for illegal racing is to destroy them e.g. by crushing, as the NSW Police Commissioner has recently suggested.

As for the drivers, if fines, demerit points or loss of license don't stop them racing then the only thing that will is to throw them in jail.

These people lack any consideration for others and are not mature enough mentally to own cars. Cars should be seized, sold, with proceeds going to victims and their families. Licenses should be taken away for a minimum of 10 years, $20,000 fines, and a mandatory jail time of a year for speed racing.

These people just don't get it. They will have plenty of time to think about it in jail.

Yeah, you'll vid's on youtube about racing on new Eastern Europe motorways too. Those guys just can't handle 150HP. No responsibility at all.

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Flint considers building a municipal drag-racing strip to take amateur racers off streets
30 August 2008

FLINT, Mich. (AP) - Flint hot-rodders may soon have a legal and local alternative to street racing.

The Flint Journal reports the city is considering building a drag-racing strip that would take amateur racers off city streets.

Mayor Don Williamson says a location has been picked but declined to release additional details. Williamson owns a drag strip in Brainerd, Minn.

Racing enthusiasts applauded the idea. John Burkett of Clio says he would never street-race again if a drag strip were available.

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The people caught in LA get their car smashed and the owners watch it as the compacter destroys it. As a car lover, it saddens me to see such nice cars destroyed, but these people are reckless, some of my friends are like this, there won't be a solution to it.

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The people caught in LA get their car smashed and the owners watch it as the compacter destroys it. As a car lover, it saddens me to see such nice cars destroyed, but these people are reckless, some of my friends are like this, there won't be a solution to it.

That's a great idea!

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